Newmai News Network
Imphal: An influential organization of Manipur has sent a three-page letter to the European Parliament today in connection with the prevailing situation in Manipur.
The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) said, “A three page letter of appreciation with clarification on the recent resolutions adopted by the European Parliament (EP) has been sent to the president of European Parliament Mrs. Roberta Metsola, Hon’ble President, the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France by the COCOMI on July 23, 2023”. The COCOMI said the letter emphasized on explaining and rejecting the opinion shared by the Member of the European Parliament during their debate. COCOMI also said it learnt that the first information on Manipur violence was wrongly fed by certain vested interest groups suspected to be “Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups” to the Member of the European Union which was completely on the pretext of fabricated context on Manipur violence. The COCOMI, therefore, said it found it necessary to expose and correct the lies submitted by “immigrant Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups to the outside world”.
The letter said, “The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a conglomerate of major civil society organizations of Manipur extends our heartfelt greetings to you from Manipur”. The COCOMI drew the attention to the issue raised by the members concerning the ongoing violence (ethnic tension between the Kuki and Meitei) in Manipur in the European Parliament and for successfully passing the first-ever Resolution on Manipur. “Your proactive approach in demanding action from the Government of India to address the crisis is highly appreciated,” the letter also said.
The COCOMI then said “the resolution” is significant considering the deafening silence of the Prime Minister of India as “we” have been experiencing on the matter. “However, it is regrettable to note that the core issue of narco-terrorism, which is fuelling the conflict, seems to have been omitted from the resolution you have adopted,” the letter pointed out, adding, “Your resolutions were guided by wrong and misleading perspective which made you arrive at a flawed understanding of the issue in Manipur as a conflict between Christian minority and majority Meetei Hindu”.
Also read | Manipur govt constructing ‘shelter houses’ for around 200 families
The COCOMI letter then clarified that the “recent violence” that erupted in Manipur was not on religious line. It stated that the “recent violence” was between “immigrant Chin-Kuki narco-terrorist groups and indigenous Meetei communities”. The COCOMI letter further said hundreds of churches belonging to about 25 ethnic communities are still standing tall and performing their services in the heart of Meetei dominated areas including the capital city Imphal. It added that many Christian ethnic communities except Chin-Kuki groups are still settled in Imphal and other Meetei dominated areas and living together in harmony. “Please note, 1,70,000 Meetei communities are also Christian which is 35 percent of the total Kuki Christian population in Manipur. The first ever Christian convert in Manipur was also a Meetei and their descendants are still Christians. 100 percent of the Meetei including Meetei Christians are being ethnically cleansed from the Chin-Kuki Christian dominated areas namely Churachandpur, Saikul and Kangpokpi districts in Manipur on May 3 and 4, 2023 by Chin-Kuki Christians only. 100 percent of the Meetei religious centres in the Kuki dominated hill areas are being completely destroyed and wiped out. Every Meetei Hindu and Sanamahi dwelling house comprises of three important temples or place of worship (Lainingthou Sanamahi Kachin, Ibenthou Emoinu and Sagei Apokpa Temple) which is quite different from the Christian set up of Churches for each colonies. So, when a Meetei house is being burned down, it includes three important temples of worship,” the COCOMI letter mentioned.
Must read | Widespread protest and condemnation pours in from valley over Lucy Marem’s brutal murder
The COCOMI then said that, considering the above “factual context and circumstances we would like to draw your attention to give more focus on the issue of the Chin-Kuki narco-terrorism which has direct relation to the ongoing violence in Manipur”. The COCOMI alleged that, because the prevalence of narco-terrorism and its finance capital to usurp political power and democratic institutions has had a significant impact on the polity and harmony in Manipur. “We feel that, the acknowledgement of the involvement of the narco-terrorists in the present situation in Manipur in your resolution would have provided a more comprehensive understanding of the challenges we face in the India-Myanmar borderlands. Moreover, it is crucial to consider the broader context and the pressing issues that has shaped the present violence in Manipur,” it added.
Must read | Amid Meiteis exodus from Mizoram, PAMRA clarifies, says not a diktat
The COCOMI further alleged that the “emerging narco-terrorist activities and establishment of a narco-economy (Indian Intelligence Bureau Director reports estimated the total amount to 50,000 crore or 500 billion INR to 65000 crore or 650 billion INR annually) inside the territory of Manipur primarily operated and managed by the armed (illegal) immigrants and their drug cartel syndicates in India from Myanmar belonging to Chin-Kuki tribes who are Christians is the main cause of the ongoing violence in Manipur”.
According to the COCOMI, a thick, dense, and lush green forest area of about 125,000 acres (90 percent in Kuki dominated areas) is being completely deforested for opium poppy cultivation, and its estimated production of opium is about 500 MT (Metric Ton) to 625 MT annually. The COCOMI also mentioned that important points to note are that the Chin-Kuki tribes in Manipur are Christians, and they are the main community indulging in poppy cultivation, opium production and drug trafficking from across the border from Myanmar to India. The letter further alleged that the Chin-Kuki are using their dominated or inhibited areas as a warehouse and transit for all sorts of illegal drug and (small) arms trafficking. It also alleged that all necessary infrastructure and network for institutionalizing the narco-economy are being set up in Manipur like armed militants, poppy farms, illegal immigrant settlements, and massive deforestation, and establishment of illegal villages are a threatening reality in Manipur. The COCOMI further said this alarming development creates a highly volatile socio-political environment where a small spark can quickly escalate into an inferno.
Must read | GoI has set fire to its own tent in Manipur: Working Committee, NNPGs on Turmoil
The letter then said, “Last but not the least, there is a need to recognize the geo-political factors at play, including the political instability in Myanmar, the clandestine narco-economy, and the ethnonationalist mobilization of the ‘Chin-Kuki-Mizo’ ethnic armed groups that has the potential to destabilise the ethnic harmony and co-existence in the borderlands of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh”. The letter also alleged that the Chin-Kuki ethno-nationalism has not only affected harmony in the Chin state of Myanmar, Mizoram, and Manipur in India but also the Chittagong Hill Tracks of Bangladesh. The COCOMI letter then “humbly” requested European Parliament that to consider the aforementioned “pertinent concerns” and continue to champion the cause of peace, stability, and justice in Manipur. The letter then said, “Your unwavering support and influence are vital and the people of Manipur anticipates that the European Union shall live up to its responsibility and play a non-partisan active role in resolving the ongoing crisis, and do not let a New Golden Triangle emerge in the region, particularly in Manipur. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we eagerly await your further guidance and support”.
About The Author
